Officials warn aging pump could fail

STOCKTON - A pump station on the south bank of the Calaveras River is in danger of failing in a major storm, officials warn in a new report.

Alex Breitler

STOCKTON - A pump station on the south bank of the Calaveras River is in danger of failing in a major storm, officials warn in a new report.

And residents of that neighborhood may have to pay to fix the problem.

The neighborhood is already in a high-risk federal flood zone, forcing homeowners to buy flood insurance. Officials have proposed building a $30 million gate at the head of Smith Canal to alleviate that problem.

But even with the gate, about 1,700 homes and businesses will remain in the flood zone if the pump station is not replaced, said Chris Neudeck, the engineer for Reclamation District 1614, the tract between Smith Canal and the Calaveras.

Replacing the pump station could cost $2.3 million, according to a report by Neudeck's firm, although officials are seeking help from the state.

"Unfortunately, those 1,700 homes will get a double whammy," Neudeck said.

Most of those homes are north of Michigan Avenue and west of Kirk Avenue.

It's not yet clear how much new assessments to pay for both the gate and the pump station would cost property owners each year, Neudeck said. That information may come out in the next couple of months as plans move forward.

The assessments would have to be approved through Proposition 218 elections. Ultimately, residents will have to decide if they want to continue paying for flood insurance or whether they want to pay more now to get out of the flood zone.

The roughly 70-year-old pump station, adjacent to the Hoover Tyler Little League baseball field, collects stormwater runoff from an area of about 700 acres and pumps that runoff into the Calaveras River.

It's the biggest of 11 pump stations serving the area between Smith Canal and the Calaveras.

But it can pump only about one-third of the amount of water that the surrounding neighborhood is likely to shed during a severe storm, the likes of which might occur on average just once a century.

Making matters worse, the corrugated metal sheeting beneath the pump station is rusting, and supporting wooden beams have rotted.

Overall, the pump station structure is "severely antiquated and in danger of detrimental collapse," concludes the report.

Officials are partnering with the Stockton East Water District in pursuit of a state grant that could pay for half of the pump replacement project.

The plan calls for Stockton East to reduce the amount of water flowing down the Calaveras when the rebuilt pump station is operating, thus reducing flood damage and raising groundwater levels east of town.

The pump station was tested in late November and early December, when Stockton got almost 3 inches of rain in three days.

Leaves clogging storm drains probably helped slow down the water rushing into the pump station, helping keep the flow under control, officials said.